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“Wait,” You hold your arm out in front of Serana, and she turns to you, brows furrowed at the sudden stop. “Something smells . . . Off.” Your beastblood instinct was kicking into high gear, something that only happened around unfamiliar people and potential threats. It seemed whatever triggered it was a little bit of both. You take another inhale, lips parting to taste the air.
“Yeah. Something is definitely up ahead, here.” Your voice drops to a murmur, and you peek around the large boulder you had both been hiding behind. There were three or four men sitting together around a firepit, underneath a cliff overhang. They wore nothing but linen tunics and pants, hair overgrown and beards thick and choppy. Wanderers? Hobos? They didn’t smell friendly, and their lack of clothing was awfully suspicious in this below-freezing weather.
“Definitely something off about these guys.” Serana mutters beside you, voice close and warm to your ear. You hum.
“Should we attempt to be friendly?” You didn’t want blood on your hands if it wasn’t necessary; but beast instinct was starting to override regular, rational thought. Something was wrong. One of the men cranes his neck, sniffing at the air, and you realize with a sickening jolt what you had stumbled upon.
A pack of werewolves.
“They’re werewolves,” You can hear Serana unsheathing her dagger, the vacuum hum of a drain life spell swirling in her left hand. She hums, but it sounds an awful lot like a growl. “Something is off, though. There’s no doubt they know we’re here, we can’t avoid a fight, but-”
“Show yourself!” The man was walking out of the small cave now, seemingly unfazed by the bitterly cold snow he was walking on. His voice was a thunderous baritone, and your metaphorical (and soon physical) fur prickled at the sound. You can tell Serana is just as jarred- she’s just better at hiding it.
“Stay close to me.” Is all you say, and she meets your eyes, before nodding once. You know she can take care of herself; he’s incredible in battle, and almost as ferocious as you are. Despite this, red flags were waving impossibly high in the forefront of your mind, and you had only one goal- to protect her.
You take a deep breath in, and step out into the open. Serana follows, shoulder to shoulder with you. The man locks onto you both immediately, his comrades beginning to stand from their own positions behind him to join the confrontation.
“We wish you no harm.” You hold your hands out in front of you, palms forward. Serana doesn’t do the same. You don’t blame her. The man narrows his eyes, stalking towards you with an uncertain look on his face. The closer he gets, the uneasier you become.
“I don’t know you,” He spits, voice thick and growling. You take it as a win that he didn’t immediately jump you. Your hands begin to slowly fall to your sides. Your mouth opens to reply, when he tilts his head, lips peeling back in a snarl. “You’re not from around here, are you? And what are you- you’re a werewolf. And you. . .” His gaze turns to Serana, and you instinctively inch closer to her, gaze sharpening.
“I’ll be damned. I haven’t had the pleasure of killing a vampire in a long time.” His scowl transforms into a dangerous smile, and you take a step forward. Instinct was quickly beginning to take up the whole of your brain. Protect. Protect. Protect. A growl eases slowly past your lips. A warning.
You could feel it prickling beneath your skin, aching behind your skull. The pack inches closer, but you don’t move back.
“Step off,” You growl, feeling the ache move to your eyes, your gums. “Or you’ll regret it.”
The leader laughs. It’s a rocky, wet sound. You clench your hands into fists, feeling the ache move to your fingertips. Claws dig into your palms. You’re breathing heavily now, stature beginning to curve and arch toward the earth. A pained groan forces its way past your lips, as if pushed from your lungs by an unseen force. Your hands and knees meet the ground. You can feel your bones popping in and out of place, sweat cooling on your skin before soaking into the fur that was coming after.
“ There you go. Let’s settle this, boys.” It’s all you hear before everything turns red.
You turn your snout to the sky and howl.
-
“Akira. Akira .” Your eyes blink open blearily, before closing again. Shit, you must’ve really gone bezerk. You attempt to speak, eyebrows furrowing when you’re met with the taste and sticky texture of blood. When you finally open your eyes for good, you’re met with the sight of Serana, thank the gods- four furred corpses, and a lot of gore.
“Ah.” Is all you manage to croak, slowly attempting to move into a sitting position. You were sore all over- something that hasn’t happened in awhile. You know it’ll fade soon, but it’s still somewhat jarring to feel.
“I. . . Completely blacked out.” Which hasn’t happened since your turning. You lean heavily on Serana, who’s got the ghost of a smile on her lips.
“You tore them to pieces. A mix of flattering and concerning, that you’d do that for me.” You hum, wanting nothing more than to drown in the sound of her voice. You had completed your mission, forced upon you by the protective instinct of your beastblood, and you were tired. You were safe, too; inside a cave with a warm fire and the one you cared for most.
“You’re not even going to set up a bedroll, are you?” She murmurs, amused. You sigh, already drifting off.
“Just a quick nap. We can. . . Get back to Raven Rock tomorrow.”
Serana silently agrees, grabbing a moose fur to drape over the both of you. She’d have to get up soon to stoke the campfire, but a few minutes of downtime wouldn’t hurt. Her lips press gently against your temple, and she settles in to watch the sunset.